Karlson Kantilla Earns NTFL 2023-24 Round 3 Rising Star Nomination

A teenage player for the Tiwi Bombers used his skills in the ruck to help set the stage for a decisive victory in Round 3 and earn himself a nomination for Rising Star. View all of the candidates for the 2023–2024 award.

A young player for the ATiwi Bombers who was playing in just his second NTFL game used his skills in the ruck to set up a dominant win against Palmerston, winning himself the Rising Star nomination in the process.

Due to the fact that Southern Districts' Matt Dennis is widely considered to be the NTFL's finest ruckman, Karlson Kantilla had what was arguably the most challenging opening game of any ruckman currently competing in the league.

In spite of the physical difference between them, he fought hard and emerged from that match with eight hitouts to his name, establishing himself as a player to keep an eye on at center bounce.

He was trusted by his team and he delivered, scoring 19 points and proving himself a dangerous runner by blasting out of the center square.

The promising youngster contributed greatly to the ruck and added 14 possessions, five clearances, three tackles, and two assists to the scoreboard.

In a ruck, no matter who he was up against, Kantilla continued to fight, impressing his coach, Patrick Bowden.

"He's a young fella who held his own against Matthew Dennis in his first game of NTFL footy; he was outsized, but he never gave up," Bowden said.

He's got excellent skills and great game knowledge, and I think he's progressing well, and he did a great job again over the weekend.

"He can play multiple positions, but at the moment he's holding down a ruck for us," the coach said. "However, everything he's done in the TIFL leading up to this season has been ruck, so it's natural for him."

After many excellent performances for her Saints' team, Paula Pavic has been recognised as a rising star in the women's tournament and has been nominated for an award in this category.

In Round 3, Pavic, another star ruck, was instrumental in providing her team with the ball time and time again, as they defeated Southern Districts by a score of 22.16 (148) to 0.0 (0).

Pavic is a hard-working player who has not had a single loss of form through the first three rounds of the competition. He is a continuous thorn in the sides of the opposition, whether he is jumping or battling the ball in the midfield.

ROUND 2 - Seth Harris (St Mary’s) and Shanie Lami Lami (Tiwi)

After playing bravely in the NTFL's second round, an 18-year-old from Mornington Peninsula earned the Rising Star nomination.

Seth Harris joined St. Mary's in the middle of the preseason after driving there in a car without air conditioning on his own. He has immediately established himself as a dedicated member of the team.

Following in the footsteps of two-time Dennis Dunn winner Jackson Calder and Sam Fowler, he is the most recent golfer to have ties to Mornington and the Green Machine.

In the second round, his team faced the defending champion Waratah, and he made an immediate impact by racking up 26 touches, four clearances, four tackles, and five inside 50s.

His performance left his coach, Anthony Vallejo, quite impressed, and he predicted that the young player would be one to watch closely as the rest of the season progresses.

"He's a young kid who moved up by himself in a car with no aircon, so it's safe to say that he's pretty committed," said Vallejo.

"The first thing that stood out to us about him was his level of fitness. Although we have some really talented runners on our team, including Dylan Landt and Kieren Parnell, he was often able to finish in front of them.

We've seen him play through the middle of the field, so we know he's capable of playing the back end of the defense as well. He's a really brave young man.

He's got a great head on his shoulders for someone so young, and he's equally adept with the ball in his left and right feet.

"He's assimilated into club life; he never misses a practice, and he's even shown up for Auskick sessions and helped out a little bit more around the club."

The Women's Premier League's Rising Star nominee is Tiwi Bombers' Shanie Lami Lami.

The rookie stood out in her team's season opener, a close victory over Southern Districts at the Croc's home. The youthful player contributed two goals and three behinds.

With the Bombers women striving for the NTFL women's playoffs for the first time, she will be a player to keep an eye on as the season progresses.

ROUND 1 - Dwayne Kerinaiua (Waratah) and Marika Carlton (Palmerston)

An intriguing Waratah rookie scored four goals on his debut with the team, earning him a Round 1 Rising Star nomination.

In the 2022–23 season, 18-year-old Dwayne Kerinaiua made his premier league debut for the Tiwi Bombers and also played for the Waratah under-18s.

However, he finally committed to playing in the top grade for the Tahs in Round 1, and his x-factor skill shone through in a four-goal performance.

He did an outstanding job filling in on the forward line, which also included his close friend Anthony Munkara, who was originally listed with the Essendon Bombers, and the ever-present menace Jayden Magro.

Not only did he impress coach Ryan Ayres with his goal kicking during the resounding victory over Southern Districts, but he also wowed him with his speed both on and off the ball as well as his tackle pressure.

Like all the footballers from Tiwi, "he's an extremely exciting talent and a natural footballer," Ayres added.

He has ties to the Tiwi community but has decided to play for us in the Waratah system, which is fantastic.

He scored four goals for a cohesive forward line, and his tackle pressure and leg speed are also top-notch.

Kerinaiua's skills were on display in a triumph for Waratah's under-18s team before he made the jump to the Premier league squad.

According to Ayres, "he's an absolute freak," as he kicked all five goals to earn the best on ground.

Then he played on our team and kicked a couple goals against the Central Australian representative team, so he's a promising young player overall.

He "has enough talent to challenge himself and push for bigger and better things," and "it's one thing playing for Waratah, but I think he's got enough talent to challenge himself and push for bigger and better things."

Two other promising young players, Timothy Kerinaiua and Xavier Blitner, also stood out in the game against the Tahs.

During this time, Marika Carlton demonstrated why she was considered to be such a promising player coming up through the junior grades by scoring three goals in a match against the Wanderers. She was awarded the women's rising star award.

Since she was named the best and fairest player in both the under-16s and under-18s championships the previous year, Carlton has been one of the youngsters in the women's competition who has garnered the most attention and anticipation.

The Palmerston youngster also won the best-on-ground awards for both of his team's premiership victories, and he is now the first nominee for the 2023-24 Rising Star award.